Infant&#39;s neck and head support



United States Patent Inventor: Abraham Towbin 18 Inis Circle, WestNewton, Mass. 02165 Application No.: 730,866 Filed: May 21, 1968Patented: Aug. 4, 1970 INFANTS NECK AND HEAD SUPPORT 5 Claims, 4 DrawingFigs.

Primary Examiner Adele M. Eager Attorney-Thomson and Mrose u.s.c1.128/133, ABSTRACT= A brace for wear by infants to Prevent Spinal 128/5202/3 injuries of the whip1ash" type due to sudden, extreme move-1111.131. A611'l3/00 mems the head- The brace is made Of molded rubberand Field ofSearch 128/82, 83, extends Offthe childs Shoulders, back andchest A head P- 87, 88, 9O 33, 1341/1 2, 3 port shaped to conformgenerally to the child's head extends upward along the back of theinfant's neck and head, and is References Cited reinforced by stiffeningribs.

l A w 1 e I K 10a /4 o 0'/ a liq, d I l f o a o g e 1: 0 I

U.S. PATENT 3,522,804 INFANTS NECK AND HEAD SUPPORT This inventionrelates to a neck and head support for infants.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION There is evidence that some cases of suddenunexplained death of apparently healthy infants are due to aself-inflicted whiplash type of injury resulting from sudden extrememovement of the neck particularly in the backward and forward direction.Such an injury may produce hemorrhagic damage to the cervical spinalstructures, which, though not fatal in itself, impairs the function ofthe spinal cord and results in paralysis of the respiratory system. Theyoung infant is particularly vulnerable to such injuries because thehead is large and heavy, about four times as heavy as the head of anadult in proportion to the body, and the neck is relatively weak. Suchinjuries occur most frequently in infants ten days to four months old.

The object of this invention is to provide a neck and head support, tobe worn continuously by an infant during the first four months, whichprevents sudden over extension of the neck, while permitting normalmovement. Another object is to provide support which can be readilyapplied and easily cleaned. Other objects, advantages and novel featureswill be apparent from the following description.

SUMMARY The neck and head support here disclosed is made of fairly stiffrubber or plastic and is molded to fit over the chest. shoulders andupper back of an infant, and extends upward along the back of the neckand the occipital portion of the head. In the region of the back of theneck, the support is stiffened by stays, preferably molded into therubber. The support is attached to a cloth vest, and the vest and frontpart of the support are split down the center and fastened with snaps orother suitable fastening means. The entire assembly fits snugly and ismade in various sizes to fit infants during the first four months.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings illustrating theinvention:

FIGURE 1 is a front view of a head and neck support constructedaccording to the invention, shown as worn by an infant;

FIGURE 2 is a rear view ofthe support;

FIGURE 3 is a side view ofthe support; and

FIGURE 4 is a cross-section taken along line 4-4 of FIGURE 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The neck and head support consistsessentially of two main parts, the support proper, generally indicatedby the numeral 10, and a vest 11 to which the support is attached andwhich anchors the support on the infants body. The support has frontportions 10a and 10b which extend across the infants chest, a backportion 10c which extends across the upper part of the infants back,shoulder portions 10d and l0e which pass over the infants shoulders andconnect the front and rear portions. A head supporting portionl0fextends upward from the back portion along the back ofthe infantsneck and the occipital region of the head. As shown in FIGURE 4 theupper part "of portion 10f is rounded to conform to the contour of theinfants head. The lower part is similarly rounded to fit the back of theinfants neck.

The upper edges of the front and shoulder portions are rounded anddefine a neck opening 12, which is, larger than the infant's neck andpermits some freedom of movement in the sidewise and forward direction.

The vest 11, made of soft cloth, fits around the upper part to theinfants body and has short sleeves 11a. The support I0 is attachedaround its margins to the vest by plastic rivets E3. The front portions10a and 10b of the support, and the front ed es of the vest are held toether by snaps 14.

he support IS made 0 rubber or a rubber-like plastic material which isfairly rigid, but flexible enough to permit the front portions 10a and10b to be spread apart when the support is put on and taken off theinfant. In the rear, flat wire stays 15 are embedded in the rubber andextend from the upper part of the back portion 10c upward along the headsupporting portion 10f, to stiffen the support in this region. This partof the support is considerably sitffer than the other parts.

The entire support should fit the infant fairly snugly, and supports ofdifferent sizes are used as the child grows. The support preventsextreme backward movement of the head, yet permits enough freedom ofmovement to allow for normal exercise of the neck muscles and allows theinfant to use its arms and roll freely. The support also insures againstaccidental sudden backward movement of the head when the infant ispicked up.

I claim:

1. An infants head and neck support comprising a supporting memberformed of stiff material; said member including front and back portionsadapted to extend over the infants chest and upper back respectively,shoulder portions connecting said front and back portions and adapted tooverly the infants shoulders, and a head and neck receiving portionextending upward from said back portion and adapted to engage theoccipital region of the infants head said head and neck receivingportion being internally shaped to fit closely to the infants head andneck.

2. A support as described in Claim 1, having reinforcing membersextending from said back portion into said head and neck receivingportions.

3. A support as described in Claim 1, said front and shoulder portionshaving rounded upper edges defining a neck opening larger than the neckof the infant for which the support is intended.

4. A support as described in Claim 1, said front portion having acentral opening and closure means therefor.

5. A support as described in Claim 1, including a vest of soft materialto which said support member is attached, both said member and said vesthaving a front opening and closure means therefor.

